Reading, PA – The Reading Royals of the ECHL, affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League, today introduced the team’s Fifteenth Anniversary Community Series. The nine game series expands upon the team’s fifteen year commitment to entertaining and uniting the Berks County community, while raising funds and awareness for local charitable causes. Fans can purchase a partial season ticket for the entire Fifteenth Anniversary Community Series, which is set out in detail below, for as low as $144.00.

“The Community Series was a top priority for the Royals this off-season,” said team President Drew Bell. “To me, it’s critical for organizations like ours to do everything we can to promote positivity and help push our community forward. There are a lot of great people in various groups who sacrifice time and luxuries to truly make a difference in the lives of people who need it most. The Greater Reading area is full of really good people doing really great things, and we need to shed the biggest spotlight we can on them and their initiatives. If we can successfully take nine games out of our schedule to raise money and awareness for some really worthy causes then I’ll consider our season a great one.”

The Community Series, which kicks off with the home opener on Saturday, October 24 and features at least one game a month on prime weekend dates throughout the 2015-16 regular season, offers a wide variety of giveaways and activities, although it is important to note that additions are still being made to the Royals Fifteenth Anniversary Promotional Calendar. Seven of the nine games in the series feature a unique specialty jersey that will be worn by the Royals and auctioned after the game to raise funds for the respective beneficiaries.

The Home Opening Celebration will kick off at 4:00 pm with a block party in front of Santander Arena and will feature food vendors, a craft beer garden, a car smash, a wide variety of activities for kids of all ages, and a concert headlined by international recording artists, Gin Blossoms. The Royals’ game night activities for the home opener, which are presented by Reading Health System, will include a Fifteenth Anniversary Rally Towel giveaway and the explosive antics of one of the all-time fan favorite performance groups, the Fur Circus.

The busy day of hockey will kick off with the second annual Army – Navy Hockey Game and Skills Competition in the afternoon at Santander Arena. At the Royals’ game later that evening, the organization expects to give away a specially designed veterans-themed flag, and the Royals will wear special jerseys which will be auctioned after the game. Funds raised for the Veterans Day activities will benefit the Keystone Iron Warriors and the Keystone Wounded Warriors, the U.S. Service Academies and other local groups dedicated to the assistance of veterans.

The game night activities, which will be presented by Reading Health System, will feature a food and clothing drive for local families in need. The giveaway for Shelter Night will be the first in a series of commemorative pucks to be given out over the course of the 2015-16 regular season. The Royals will wear special jerseys that will be auctioned after the game to raise funds for Opportunity House, Family Promise, and the Greater Berks Food Bank.

This activity-filled evening, which will include the annual Toys for Tots Teddy Bear Toss and a brand new Puppy Race, will offer an exciting new giveaway, a specially designed calendar which will feature the Royals’ players posing with some of their finest furry friends. The organization also anticipates that a number local cats and dogs will be available for adoption at Santander Arena that night. The Royals will wear special jerseys that will be auctioned after the game to raise funds for local animal shelters and rescue missions.

On this game night, the Royals will express the organization’s collective appreciation for one of the most under-appreciated and important groups in our community, the educators throughout Berks County. Leading up to the game, fans will have an opportunity to nominate their favorite educator, several of whom will be recognized for their contributions to our community during the game by the Royals’ organization. The giveaway for fans that night will be the second in the series of four commemorative pucks to be given away this season.

This game night will be packed full of activities, including honoring this season’s inductee into the Royals’ Wall of Honor. The atmosphere for this game may be a bit frenzied courtesy of our good friends, the Zooperstars, who will get ample assistance from the kids making up the Royals’ brand new Cowbell Chorus. The team will once again don special jerseys in the traditional Blue and White of Penn State, which will be auctioned after the game to raise funds for Four Diamonds of THON, the largest student run philanthropy in the world which is dedicated to the eradication of childhood cancer.

The Royals will continue our long-running tradition of tapping into the power of pink, while raising funds and awareness in the continuing effort to cure cancers of all types. This season, the Royals will combine the team’s efforts to raise funds for Breast Cancer Support Services of Berks County as well as the American Cancer Society. To facilitate the fund raising effort, the Royals will wear the Fifteenth Anniversary version of the PIR special jerseys, which will be auctioned after the game. The organization’s cancer support night will also feature a brand new giveaway for fans: Royals’ themed winter gloves.

Scout Night (Saturday, March 5, 2016) v Wheeling Nailers

The Royals and Reading Health System will honor the Hawk Mountain Council Boy Scouts with a night packed full of activities, including a performance by the Fur Circus and a Scout Sleepover after the game. In addition, everyone’s favorite mascot, Slapshot, will invite all of his friends to celebrate his birthday with Mascot Mania. This night will also mark the fourth in the series of commemorative puck giveaways for the 2015-16 season. The team will wear special Scout-themed jerseys that night, which will be auctioned after the game to support the Hawk Mountain Council Boy Scouts.

Autism Awareness Night (Saturday, April 2, 2016) v Norfolk Admirals

The Royals will complete the 2015-16 Community Series with the second annual Autism Awareness Night, when the team will make a special effort to adapt the game night presentation so as to be friendly for fans who may have particular sensitivities to light and sound. The game night activities, which will be presented by Reading Health System, will include a Slapshot stress-reliever giveaway, while the team will wear special jerseys that will be auctioned after the game to raise funds for the local chapter of Unending Promise and other organizations dedicated to assistance of those impacted by autism.

The Fifteenth Season of Royals’ hockey kicks off with back-to-back games against the South Carolina Stingrays at North Charleston Coliseum on Saturday (October 17) and Sunday (October 18). Reading then opens the home portion of the team’s schedule on Saturday, October 24,(7:00 pm) when the Elmira Jackals visit Santander Arena. Season Tickets for the 2015-16 Reading Royals ECHL season are currently available. Call 610-898-7825 for more information or log onto www.royalshockey.com.